an open letter to dads who don’t wear helmets

Dear Dads,

I don’t really care about your head. If you think it’s a good idea to ride around at 20 mph with nothing but your, admittedly, fantastic hair between your head and any pavement it might come in contact with, who am I to judge? Odds are that I won’t be around if you crash. And, it’s nice that you make sure your two kids and wife are all wearing helmets as the four of you swerve down the bike trail; I admire the fact that you recognize the value of those heads.

But don’t you think that you might be setting the wrong example? Don’t you think it would be a good idea to demonstrate how important a helmet is by, you know, wearing one? Or are you fine with your kid being the one that takes his helmet off and hangs it on his handlebars as soon as he’s sure his mom can’t see him?

I guess what I’m saying is that things might be a little different if you were a 22 year-old bike messenger on some ridiculous fixed gear bike you “built” yourself. Then, maybe, your emphasis on “style” could be enough to rationalize that tweed cap you spent an entire month’s income on. But you, you’re a 40 year-old dad riding around in basketball shorts and a muscle-T, a helmet is only going to help your look.